Apple App Store Takes Tiny Step Toward Transparency

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Apple App Store Takes Tiny Step Toward Transparency

Taking a small step toward openness, Apple recently rolled out a brand new way for iPhone developers to track the status of apps they've submitted to the App Store.

While it may not sound like much, the move gives iPhone developers reason to celebrate. Many developers have complained about the difficulty communicating with Apple's team of App Store reviewers.

"It's the coolest new feature they've added [for developers], in my opinion," said Oliver Cameron, developer of the popular iPhone app Postman, who noticed the tracking system just a few days ago.

In Apple's Dev Center website, iPhone app developers can view Apple's progress on reviewing their apps from start to finish. When an app is in line to be reviewed, the status will read "Waiting for Review." And when it's actually being reviewed, the status reads "In Review." Finally, when the app is launched, the status will read "Ready for Sale." Each status update is accompanied with a time and date. (In the screenshot above, the developer's name and app were omitted for the sake of privacy, and to prevent violating a nondisclosure agreement.)

Apple's previous review status system was terse and impersonal. All developers could see was a status graphic providing the average wait time for submitted apps. The bulletin would read, for example, "Based on current app submissions, 96 percent of applications are being approved within 14 days."

Now developers can see individual progress reports on the apps they've submitted.

Though Apple's App Store is the most prolific in the mobile space, with over 100,000 apps and counting, the Cupertino, California, company has come under fire for its opaque, inconsistent approval process for iPhone apps.

Apple's App Store reviewers have made questionable rejections as well as approvals. For example, they rejected an e-book reader app called Eucalyptus because it was able to retrieve the Kama Sutra from Project Gutenberg, a repository of public-domain books. The reviewers later approved the app, admitting there was "confusion." However, Apple earlier approved Baby Shaker, a game whose objective was to shake a baby to death. The company later pulled the app after it sparked parental outrage.

The new app review status system won't address the App Store's inconsistent approval process, but it should improve relations with developers eagerly awaiting to hear back about their app — whether it's approval or rejection. And that's a lot better than no answer at all, right?